Google aims for China launch of Google Play app store next year: sources

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Google, part of Alphabet Inc, aims to launch the China version of its Google Play smartphone app store next year, according to people familiar with the matter, its first major foray in the market since ending localized product support in 2010. The Google Play app store would be set up specifically for China, and not connected to overseas versions of Google Play, two of the people said.

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Nigeria’s Instagram agony aunt advises women on love, violence, justice

By Kieran Guilbert DAKAR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – From unrequited love and cheating husbands to domestic violence and marital rape, a Nigerian agony aunt is using Instagram to encourage women to share their stories anonymously, ask for advice and even seek justice in court.

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LinkedIn profit beats as recruitment services revenue jumps

(Reuters) – LinkedIn Corp reported higher-than-expected quarterly revenue and profit as it earned more from its recruitment services business and benefited from the acquisition of training video company lynda.com. Shares of LinkedIn, the operator of the biggest social networking site for professionals, rose about 10 percent in extended trading on Thursday. Revenue in the company's Talents Solutions business, which connects recruiters with job candidates, rose 46 percent to $502 million in the third quarter.

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CentralNIC – Powering the xyz to Google’s abc

Ben Crawford was asleep 12,000 km (7,500 miles) from Google Inc's Mountain View, California headquarters this week when the Internet giant unveiled its new face. Crawford, chief executive of London-based CentralNIC Group Plc, woke up in Sydney to learn that the domain powered by his company – .xyz – would host the website of Google's new company, Alphabet Inc.

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Google has until August 31 to reply to EU antitrust charges

Google Inc , the world's most popular Internet search engine, has been given an extra two weeks to counter European Union charges of abusing its market power in a dozen EU countries and stave off a possible billion-euro fine. The European Commission has extended the deadline for replying to the charges to Aug. 31 from July 17, a Google spokesman said on Thursday

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Facebook CEO Zuckerberg and wife expecting a baby girl

By Yasmeen Abutaleb SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are expecting a baby girl, he said on his Facebook page on Friday. Zuckerberg, 31, did not say when their daughter is due but said the pregnancy was far enough along that the risk of miscarriage was low.

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LinkedIn’s revenue beat fails to connect with investors

LinkedIn's shares were down 3.9 percent in after-hours trading, however, as investors focused on the company's widening losses and an underwhelming full-year revenue forecast. LinkedIn has been spending heavily to acquire businesses and build up its sales and development teams in an effort to leverage off its 380 million members.

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